School of Law

Criminal Practice Clinic

The Criminal Practice Clinic offers students the opportunity to practice criminal law in the trial courts of Maryland, under Rule 19-217 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar. Students prosecute or defend persons charged with crimes such as assault, drug offenses, alcohol-related charges, disorderly conduct, theft and the like. As a student lawyer, you investigate, interview witnesses/clients, negotiate plea agreements, argue motions, give opening statements and closing arguments, direct- and cross-examine witnesses and more.

Criminal Practice Clinic students are supervised by assistant state's attorneys and assistant public defenders, not University of Baltimore School of Law faculty. A weekly two-hour classroom component, which is taught by a UB faculty member, rounds out the CPC experience.

You choose:

The office - State's Attorney's Office or Public Defender Office.

The jurisdiction - Baltimore City or any county in the state.

The court - District Court (adult criminal matters) or the Juvenile Court (juvenile criminal matters); some jurisdictions even allow students to do some work in the Circuit Court.

Grading: The four-credit placement is pass/fail; the two-credit classroom component is graded.